A client just told you "calories don't count." Ben Carpenter's answer is the one you should coach with.
When a popular podcast tells millions of people that calorie deficits don't work, it lands in your DMs by Monday. This breakdown covers Carpenter's rebuttal in our own words - why a sustained energy deficit still governs fat loss and where insulin and fasting genuinely fit - then adds our honest take for coaching the client who believes the myth, and shows how to make that deficit visible and trackable instead of a debate.
By Markus Evers · September 2026 · a Coachway video breakdown
the short version
Carpenter's video answers the claim that calorie deficits don't work by pointing back to the evidence: fat loss requires a sustained energy deficit, and insulin or fasting do not override energy balance - they help only when they reduce how much someone eats. The one thing a coach should do about it: stop arguing which diet is "right," and instead make the client's deficit sustainable and visible, because adherence to a plan they can keep is the actual variable you control.
Ben Carpenter - Jason Fung Says Calorie Deficits *DO NOT WORK* On Diary of a CEO Podcast. Here's Why He Is Wrong.
Source: Ben Carpenter on YouTube - "Jason Fung Says Calorie Deficits *DO NOT WORK* On Diary of a CEO Podcast. Here's Why He Is Wrong.". Watch on YouTube. We embed the public video and summarise it in our own words; the video, title and channel belong to Ben Carpenter, and nothing here implies his endorsement of Coachway.
Who is Ben Carpenter, and why coaches watch
Ben Carpenter is a UK fitness coach and best-selling author (Everything Fat Loss and Fat Loss Habits) who built his audience on evidence-based, myth-busting nutrition content. His lane is taking a claim that has gone viral - a supplement, a "toxic" food, a hormone that supposedly makes calories irrelevant - and calmly walking through what the research actually shows, without the outrage. That is exactly why this particular video matters to coaches: it is a direct, measured response to a high-reach claim your clients are hearing. The lens for this page is not "who won the argument," but "what do I actually say and do when a client shows up believing calories don't count."
What Carpenter actually argues (our summary)
This is our summary of the ideas in the video, in our own words - not a transcript. Watch the original for his exact examples, studies and framing.
- 1
Fat loss requires a sustained energy deficit. The core claim being rebutted is that calorie deficits don't work. Carpenter's answer is that energy balance describes the physics of fat loss - take in less than you expend over time and you lose fat - and no amount of framing changes that.
- 2
Insulin does not override energy balance. The "it's insulin, not calories" model claims fat loss is driven by hormones rather than intake. When total energy is matched, though, changing carbs or meal timing on its own doesn't make fat disappear - insulin operates inside energy balance, not around it.
- 3
Fasting and low-carb still work through the deficit. These approaches genuinely help many people - but because they tend to reduce how much someone eats overall, not because calories stopped counting. The mechanism is the same one being denied.
- 4
Diets are tools, not magic protocols. A recurring theme in his work: any diet that produces fat loss does so by creating a deficit, so the sensible question is which tool fits a given person's life - not which diet is metabolically superior.
- 5
Long-term results come from adherence. Once you accept the deficit is the mechanism, the game becomes sustainability - building intake and habits a person can keep - rather than chasing the next protocol that promises to bypass calories.
Coachway's take
We're fully on board with the evidence here, and it settles a debate that eats a lot of coaching time. Energy balance is the mechanism; every working diet is just a different route to a deficit. So the coach's job isn't to win the "calories vs insulin" argument - it's to take whatever the client will actually eat and make sure it lands in a sustainable deficit, then keep it there long enough to matter.
Where we'd add nuance for a coaching business: don't dismiss the client who arrives believing calories don't count. They usually heard it from a confident, well-produced source, and they are trying to do the right thing. Dismissing it makes you the villain; explaining the grain of truth makes you the guide. The diet they saw almost certainly did work for the people in it - because it cut their intake. That's the bridge: "you're not wrong that it worked, here's why it worked, and here's how we make that same thing sustainable for you."
The other coaching-specific point: this is nutrition coaching, not medicine, and the line matters more here than almost anywhere - because "calories don't count" claims often ride alongside talk of hormones, medication and clinical conditions. A coach's job is to screen and refer, not to diagnose or treat. If a client has a clinical condition, is on medication that affects appetite or blood sugar, or suspects a hormonal problem, the right move is to loop in their doctor or a dietitian, and coach the habits inside whatever guidance they're given.
So our version of Carpenter's advice is: agree on a calorie and protein target the client can live with, make the deficit visible with real tracking, and adjust from their own data rather than from the latest podcast. The client's job isn't to be perfect - it's to be consistent enough, long enough. You handle the numbers.
Make the deficit visible, then coach the adherence
"Calories still count" is only useful advice if the client can see and sustain the deficit. That's what Coachway is built for: set calorie and macro targets in the meal planner, then use client progress and check-ins to track intake, weight trend and a few key habits each week - so you adjust from real data instead of headlines. When a client's weight stalls, you can see whether the deficit is actually being hit before you touch the numbers, and you're coaching adherence rather than re-litigating whether calories matter.
If you want the mechanics first, our guide to how to calculate a calorie deficit covers setting the target, and the companion breakdown on diet adherence covers the part that actually decides whether the deficit sticks.
Start your 14-day free trialThe "calories don't count" conversation script
A message you can copy and adapt for the client who arrives convinced calories don't matter. It validates what they heard, reframes the mechanism, and hands the numbers back to you - without turning into a lecture. Underneath is a quick myth-versus-mechanism reference to keep the reframe honest.
Client message
"Heard that calories don't matter and it's all about insulin or fasting? That claim gets repeated a lot right now, and there's a grain of truth in it: those approaches often do help people lose fat. But the reason they work is that they quietly reduce how much you eat - not because calories stopped counting. In controlled studies, when total intake is matched, changing carbs or meal timing on its own doesn't override energy balance."
"So here's how we'll play it. We'll set a calorie and protein target you can actually live with, and track intake plus a couple of key habits each week. I adjust from your real data, not from the latest podcast. Your job isn't to be perfect - it's to be consistent enough, long enough. I'll handle the numbers."
"(If anything medical is in play - a diagnosed condition, medication that affects appetite or blood sugar, or a hormone question - tell me, and we'll loop in your doctor. I coach the habits; I don't diagnose or treat.)"
Myth vs what's actually happening
| What the client heard | What's actually going on |
|---|---|
| "Calories don't count." | A sustained energy deficit is still what drives fat loss. |
| "It's all about insulin." | Insulin works inside energy balance; matched intake, matched fat loss. |
| "Fasting/keto melted the fat off." | They usually cut total intake - the deficit did the work. |
| "I need the perfect diet." | You need the one you'll adhere to; that's the real variable. |
How to use it: send the message when a client raises the myth, then set the target and start tracking. Keep it to nutrition coaching - if anything clinical comes up, screen and refer rather than advise on it yourself.
THE "CALORIES DON'T COUNT" CONVERSATION SCRIPT (via Coachway) - paste + edit CLIENT MESSAGE "Heard that calories don't matter and it's all about insulin or fasting? That claim gets repeated a lot right now, and there's a grain of truth in it: those approaches often do help people lose fat. But the reason they work is that they quietly reduce how much you eat - not because calories stopped counting. In controlled studies, when total intake is matched, changing carbs or meal timing on its own doesn't override energy balance. So here's how we'll play it. We'll set a calorie and protein target you can actually live with, and track intake plus a couple of key habits each week. I adjust from your real data, not from the latest podcast. Your job isn't to be perfect - it's to be consistent enough, long enough. I'll handle the numbers. (If anything medical is in play - a diagnosed condition, medication that affects appetite or blood sugar, or a hormone question - tell me, and we'll loop in your doctor. I coach the habits; I don't diagnose or treat.)" MYTH vs WHAT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING "Calories don't count." -> A sustained energy deficit still drives fat loss. "It's all about insulin." -> Insulin works inside energy balance; matched intake, matched fat loss. "Fasting/keto melted the fat off." -> They usually cut total intake - the deficit did the work. "I need the perfect diet." -> You need the one you'll adhere to; that's the real variable. HOW TO USE: Send the message when a client raises the myth, then set the target and start tracking. Keep it to nutrition coaching - if anything clinical comes up, screen and refer.
Calorie deficits and fat loss - FAQ
Do calorie deficits actually work for fat loss?
Yes - a sustained energy deficit is what drives fat loss, and that is the point Ben Carpenter defends in this video against the claim that calories don't count. Energy balance is a description of the physics, not a diet: it means that when a person takes in less energy than they expend over time, they lose fat. Every approach that reliably produces fat loss - low-carb, fasting, high-protein, plate portioning - is ultimately a different way of getting someone into that deficit. For a coach, the practical read is to stop arguing about which diet is 'right' and focus on the one thing they all share: a deficit the client can actually sustain.
Does insulin or fasting matter more than calories for fat loss?
This is the crux of the disagreement in the video. The insulin- or hormone-first argument says that controlling insulin (by cutting carbs or fasting) is what causes fat loss and that calories are secondary. Carpenter's counter, consistent with the wider evidence base, is that insulin does not override energy balance: when total energy intake is matched, changing carbs or meal timing on its own does not make fat melt away. Fasting and low-carb approaches often do help people lose fat - but because they tend to reduce how much someone eats overall, not because calories stopped counting. A coach can hold both truths: these tools can be genuinely useful, and they work through the deficit, not around it.
If calories are what matter, why do some diets seem to work better for a client than others?
Because the best diet for a given person is the one they can adhere to, and different structures suit different lives. One client finds it easier to skip breakfast and eat two larger meals; another needs protein at every meal to stop grazing; another does best simply portioning their plate. None of these beat the others on some metabolic level - they win when they make a sustained deficit feel manageable for that particular person. Carpenter's framing is that diets are tools, not magic protocols, so the coaching skill is matching the tool to the client rather than crowning one method universally best.
How should a coach handle a client who insists calories do not count?
Meet them where they are rather than dismiss them - most clients who believe this heard it from a confident source and are genuinely trying to do the right thing. Acknowledge the grain of truth (the diet they saw probably did work for the people in it), then reframe the mechanism: it worked because it reduced intake, and you are going to make that same deficit sustainable and trackable instead of leaving it to chance. Keep the conversation to nutrition coaching, not medicine: if a client has a clinical condition, is on medication that affects appetite or blood sugar, or suspects a hormonal issue, a coach's job is to screen and refer to a doctor or dietitian, not to diagnose or treat.
More nutrition-science breakdowns
- · Layne Norton on diet adherence - once you accept the deficit is the mechanism, adherence is the whole game.
- · Will Tennyson on sustainable fat loss - what a livable deficit looks like in a real client's week.
- · The full roundup: fitness YouTubers coaches should study.
Keep dialing in nutrition coaching
all guidesHow to Calculate a Calorie Deficit (2026 Step-by-Step)
How to calculate a calorie deficit in four steps: estimate maintenance calories, choose a deficit size, set your daily target, and adjust from real results.
Read the guideLayne Norton on Why Adherence Beats Diet Type, Broken Down for Coaches
Dr. Layne Norton argues the best diet for fat loss is the one a client can actually stick to. Here is how a coach turns adherence into an accountability system with habits and weekly check-ins - plus a copy-paste check-in template and habit scorecard.
Read the guideFlexible Dieting (IIFYM): What It Is
Flexible dieting (IIFYM) means hitting daily macro targets from any food. What it is, how it works, pros and cons vs rigid meal plans, and how coaches use it to build client adherence.
Read the guideFree tools for this: Calorie Deficit Calculator · Creatine Dosage Calculator · Bulking Calorie Calculator
Make the deficit visible, and coach the part that actually matters
Calories still count - but that's only useful if a client can see and sustain the deficit. Coachway lets you set calorie and macro targets, track intake and key habits through weekly check-ins, and adjust from real data instead of the latest podcast. Start your 14-day free trial and run your first client's nutrition from one screen.
